As this type of variable displacement compressor, for example, there are those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. In the variable displacement compressor disclosed in each of Patent Documents 1 and 2, a second control valve, which opens and closes in conjunction with opening and closing operations of an electromagnetic first control valve interposed in a pressure supply passage that supplies a compressed refrigerant in a discharge chamber to a crank chamber, is interposed in a pressure release passage that releases a pressure of the refrigerant directed from the crank chamber to a suction chamber side, and in addition, there is provided a check valve that blocks a flow of the refrigerant directed from the crank chamber side to the first control valve side. In the variable displacement compressor with such a configuration, when energization to the first control valve is stopped, and the first control valve opens fully, then the second control valve closes due to a pressure rise in a pressure supply passage region located downstream of the first control valve, and reduces an opening degree of the pressure release passage. At this time, an inclination angle of a swash plate of the crank chamber becomes minimum, and an operation state with a minimum discharge displacement is obtained. Moreover, when the compressor is activated to thereby energize the first control valve and close the first control valve, then due to a pressure decrease of such a pressure supply region located downstream of the first control valve, the second control valve opens to increase the opening degree of the pressure release passage. According to such a configuration, when the compressor is stopped, the compressor is promptly shifted to such a minimum discharge displacement operation state, and when such a compressor in which a liquid refrigerant is present in the crank chamber for a long time is activated after being stopped for a long time, the opening degree of the pressure release passage is maximized, thus making it possible to rapidly release the refrigerant pressure in the crank chamber to the suction chamber side. In this way, a time until a discharge displacement of the compressor is increased is shortened, whereby operation efficiency of the variable displacement compressor is enhanced.